Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Katsuren Castle ruins, located on a bluff overlooking both sides of the Katsuren Peninsula.
Okinawan Tombs
The word for a tomb in Japan is
haka
(
墓
) but in Okinawa there is a special kind, appropriately called
kameko-baka
(
亀甲墓
) or turtleback tomb. The resemblance is fairly easy to see. Less obvious is that
the tomb is supposed to resemble a woman's womb, and the small rectangular opening located in
the center front the woman's vagina. This serves as the entrance for placing the urns of the deceased
inside. Buddhists believe that the dead should return back from where they originally came. A tomb
can hold many generaions of ancestors. Tradiionally, a dead body was placed inside for two or three
years. The tomb was then reopened and the bones were cleansed and washed with
awamori
liquor
longer exists. Dead bodies are cremated and the ashes are placed in an urn that is deposited in the
tomb. Each year in the spring (the exact date varies with the lunar calendar), Okinawans commemor-
ate Shiimii (
清明祭
; known as Seimei Sai in Japanese), one of the island's most important religious ce-
remonies. Preparaion begins a few days before the actual date when family members clean the area
around the tomb. This helps to appease the spirits of ancestors whom Okinawans believe are con-
stantly watching over them. On the day of Shiimii, large quanities of food are prepared and brought
to the tomb, along with flowers and
awamori
. Paper “money“ is burned, prayers are said, music is
played, food is eaten and
awamori
is drunk. The occasion is festive and may go on all night. By paying
respect to the dead, the ancestors are appeased and, in turn, asked to watch over and protect the
living.
